Luke Ballance entered the world of music journalism unconventionally after a childhood passion for crowd-sourced information on music snowballed into a de facto role writing articles and managing UK artist relations at Genius.
Expanding into more print and online titles in the following years including Clash, The Line of Best Fit, DMY, Gigwise and Link Up TV, the London-based writer has interviewed the likes of Madison Beer, Krept & Konan, Becky Hill, Bru-C and Nilüfer Yanya, and has penned copy for industry heavyweights including Deezer, Amazon Music and Universal.
When he's not writing self-indulgent biographies in the third person, Luke can also be found making rare appearances as a singer, guitarist and record producer, which have recently included shows at the Roundhouse and We Out Here Festival as a part of the Roundhouse Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. He also runs the independent label Rosebank, curating select releases from exceptional artists in the fields of grime, rap and bass music which have been supported by the likes of Spotify UK, 1Xtra and GRM Daily.
Projects
- Hak Baker x Clash interview (2024)I caught up with singer-songwriter Hak Baker ahead of his performance at FORWARDS 2024 and photographed his set at the Bristol-based festival. We discussed lovers' rock, accolades, and his new EP 'Nostalgia Death' among other things - very pleased to see he's since been nominated for a MOBO! https://www.clashmusic.com/features/ive-never-seen-the-easy-way-out-clash-meets-hak-baker/
- Madison Beer x Gigwise interview (2022)I interviewed global superstar Madison Beer on World Mental Health Day to coincide with the release of her hit single "Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)". We spoke about everything from her then-upcoming album 'Silence Between Songs' to trauma and BPD in an hour-long conversation, available to read back here: https://web.archive.org/web/20230603070541/https://gigwise.com/features/3427292/loving-the-unchangeable--madison-beer-in-conversation
- The Rap Game UK x Clash interview (2022)Ahead of the release of the fourth season of The Rap Game UK, BBC Three invited me to sit down with its three hosts, rap sensations Krept & Konan and BBC Radio 1Xtra mainstay DJ Target, for a conversation about the series and how to make it in the industry in 2022. Full interview here: https://www.clashmusic.com/features/dj-target-krept-and-konan-on-the-enduring-success-of-the-rap-game-uk/
Work history
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FounderRosebank
London, United KingdomPart Time
I own a small, independent record label through which I release select rap, grime and bass music from exceptional artists and offer them a boutique approach to building their personal brand and reaching new audiences. I handle the PR, radio campaigns and press shots myself, aided by a label partnership with Ditto Music. Past releases have seen me work with UK Top 40 charting artists, MOBO Award winners and Lord of the Mics stars and have drummed up support from Spotify (including New Music Friday UK), BBC Radio 1Xtra and GRM Daily among other platforms.
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Music Journalist and CopywriterBallance
London, United KingdomFreelance
I've written for many print and online music magazines including Genius, Clash, DMY, The Line of Best Fit, Gigwise and Link Up TV, with articles ranging from artist interviews to album and live reviews. Career highlights have included interviewing stars like Madison Beer, Becky Hill, Bru-C, Krept & Konan, Chip and Ella Eyre, as well as covering international festivals and frequently getting cited on Wikipedia. I also take copywriting commissions for artist biographies and press releases, and have written hundreds of these independently for artists, labels and arts organisations across all genres since 2018.
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Skills
- Copywriting
- Music Journalism
- Copyediting
- Data Analysis
- Singing
- Guitar
- Sound Engineering
Education
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BSc Politics and International RelationsUniversity of Bath
- Bath, United Kingdom
First Class Honours. Awarded the Nick Berry Arts Scholarship as a singer, songwriter and record producer, culminating in a performance with fellow scholars at the Edge Arts Centre's annual arts gala. Also a music columnist for the student magazine, Bath Time, where I reviewed gigs and albums and interviewed artists.